Author Topic: Ghost busting my screen! (Read 4929 times)

Gilligan · « **on:** December 09, 2015, 05:05:46 PM »

So this screen was sitting in the screen rack for a few days and my screen guy had cleaned a couple of screens above it but I watched and he never touched the screen that is on top of the stack (at the bottom of the rack) at all.

All of a sudden we heard an odd sound in the shop, didn't think anything of it till my production manager walked in the back and I heard him cursing. I walked back to find a busted screen. I went into the security camera system and found when it busted.

https://youtu.be/ct0Z2YzxsyQ

It's about the 1:08 min mark.

Itsa Little CrOoked · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2015, 05:26:57 PM »

Weird. I thought I saw the pants leg on the coveralls in front of the screen rack move at the moment the screen ripped.

Gilligan · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2015, 05:57:58 PM »

We heard it on the other side of the shop so I'm guessing there was some force behind that bust.

ebscreen · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2015, 06:04:45 PM »

It happens.

Usually when we see it there's been a big temperature swing.

Kind of terrifying seeing it on film. Like a screen printers Blair Witch or something.

mooseman · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2015, 06:12:36 PM »

not unusual especially if you recently retensioned the screen. I have busted a lot of screens some will scare the crap out of me because they will be just sitting there and out of thin air it goes BANG.
My guess is a thread or two got damaged and over a period of time a thread next went then another then bang.
I have even heard immediately after re-tension the mesh start to go you can hear a thread or two going they make a small snap sound then another sound then another sound then BANG.
If you post a picture of the tear i bet it will be pretty indicative of where the break started.
mooseman

Gilligan · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2015, 07:01:07 PM »

We are climate controlled so, no big temp swings.

Moose, this was freshly printed with! LOL

LuckyFlyinROUSH · « **Reply #6 on:** December 09, 2015, 07:12:01 PM »

Wonder if he got to close with PW and put a pinhole/small tear in it right there.

Seems to cause our screens to rip like that.

mooseman · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2015, 08:32:16 AM »

Quote from: Gilligan on December 09, 2015, 07:01:07 PM

We are climate controlled so, no big temp swings.

Moose, this was freshly printed with! LOL

Gilly, you know I am crazy, I have actually, purposely, watched screens blow out. Why to undertsand what initiates and accelerates a blowout situation.
I can go on about a slow process to break, starts with the thinest loss of a thread or two and watched the opening in the mesh slowly scarifice the next thread and the next thread to the kind of loss you describe. In one example I had a small loss of mesh fabric from a retension. The blowout process took more than 30 minutes to result in a blowout failure.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind and experience , given the screen was just sitting there when it blew out, that you experienced what i define as a slow process break. Starting with very slight damage to a small area in the mesh from handling, or from the action of printing where some debris in the ink may have scratched the mesh in the print field .
As I said I could go on but the bottom line is you somehow damaged or degraded the fabric and it failed under load. And if it was S mesh the degree of initial damage can be a lot less to the same result.
mooseman

blue moon · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2015, 08:38:57 AM »

Who you gonna call?

Pierre

Gilligan · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2015, 12:24:07 PM »

It was S mesh.

It had been carded by the "new guy" so that's a possibility. But he does card off ink with a business card so that should be unlikely.

It had been printed on a WEEK before as my production manager took some personal time for most of the last week and it busted after he got back. At least 5 days since use.

mooseman · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2015, 01:05:03 PM »

weird you might start thinking about a seance

mooseman

screenprintguy · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2015, 01:35:20 PM »

S-Mesh on a newman will do that all the time man. It just takes the slightest microscopic nick or someone banging down and you can't see the crush under the tape where the locking strip is. It is freaky to just have one sitting there and hear that pop sound. I've had it happen with 150 S more than any other for some reason. Sucks too, those panels ain't cheap!

Sbrem · « **Reply #12 on:** December 10, 2015, 02:24:01 PM »

It's the forces of darkness for sure...

Steve

Frog · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2015, 02:32:47 PM »

The flipside of thinner threads stretched at very high tension for sure. Heck, I've had it happen with conventional mesh at 20n (or lower)

Gilligan · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2015, 03:13:40 PM »

Yeah, it probably wasn't high tension... not sure when the last time we took that one up was... we need better tracking on that.

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